He loves me
by Bankotsu Babeh
Summary: A deceitful monk lies his way into a village of demon exterminators. As Sango and Miroku spend time together, she finds it harder and harder to trust him. But in the end, she just might wind up falling in love.


**Summary: **A deceitful monk lies his way into a village of demon exterminators. As Sango and Miroku spend time together, she finds it harder and harder to trust him. But in the end, she just might wind up falling in love.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to Inuyasha or the characters.

**Author's Note:** This story takes place before Sango or Miroku meet Inuyasha and the others. The story focuses on those two.

--

He loves me

"No, no, you're doing it all wrong. Here, let me see." Sango snatched the bandages away from her younger brother Kohaku, who was attempting to patch up the little neko Kirara.

"Geez, Sister, you sure are cranky," he mumbled, standing up and handing the little cat over. He ventured out of the hut and into the demon slayer village to find some of his friends who were less irritable today.

Sango's shoulders sagged and she gave a slight sigh. "I just don't have the patience for this today, that's all…" She unwrapped the feline's paw and then proceeded to rewrap it tighter than before, stuffing each fold with medicinal herbs.

The village had previously returned from a big extermination job. A pack of wild dog youkai was pestering a town far away from their own village. Sango was to finish off the alpha of the pack, but she was careless when throwing her Hiraikotsu, for the dog swatted it away. She was riding Kirara when it went off course and altered it's pattern while returning to her. It hit them both and knocked them out of the air. The other exterminators had to jump in and save the two.

_I couldn't even do my own job right. And if that weren't enough, I injured Kirara and myself, and I put my entire village in danger! And it was such a long way back home, Kirara's injuries must be bothering her terribly…_Sango heaved another sigh and lowered her head. She gently picked Kirara up and exited the hut to see where Kohaku had run off to now.

She found her brother practicing with his Kusarigama out in an open area. He had set up a few poles in the ground with glass bowls on top of them. Within a flash, the sickle-like weapon broke the row of them. He yanked on the chain to bring his weapon back, but his coordination was off a bit, and he fumbled with the sickle when it retracted.

"Ah, I still haven't mastered my own weapon. What use am I?"

"Kohaku, you just need to practice. We all do. Nobody in the village has complete control over their weapons, things happen that aren't planned," Sango muttered, half way to herself. She lowered the Kusarigama from his hands and put her arm around his shoulders. "We just got back from an excruciating mission not long ago, you have to rest like the others."

"But I'm the one with the least experience. I have to train harder! You wouldn't understand. Father always trusts you with the biggest missions of all, and I'm lucky if I get to smoke out a pack of demon rats." He shook her arm off and walked into the village, leaving his sister feeling just a bit guilty.

"It's only because I'm older," she mumbled, returning to the family's hut. She, too, needed to rest for a while, especially with the bruises she acquired from her own weapon. She sat down and stroked Kirara's fur, still thinking back to all the mistakes she'd made in the last extermination job.

--

The next day, Sango woke up to a slight wind seeping through the cracks of the hut and tickling her face. Much to her surprise, her father and her brother were both outside already. _Kohaku must be practicing with his weapon, and I suppose Father is tending to the fields. I guess I should get up as well._

She slowly stood from the floor, wincing at how sore her body still was. She left Kirara asleep in the hut and walked outside, greeting random villagers as she went. It was her duty this week to gather herbs from the outskirts of the forest. She'd rather just get it over with in the morning than having to do it later.

As she picked up a basket and made her way out of the village, she saw a man making his way towards the entrance. From what she could see, he wore a purple kimono and was carrying a golden staff. A monk, no doubt, though he was very young.

Sango decided to go and meet him before he got to the village. The exterminators usually didn't get monks requesting their help, for spiritual powers were typically enough to get rid of a demon. She found it a bit odd.

"Hello there, Monk. Do you require assistance in exterminating a demon?" Sango asked as the distance between them shortened. When they finally stood face to face, she discovered that he was actually quite handsome. He just had that face that looked…deceiving.

"Why hello, young lady. I don't wish for an extermination job, rather… I have sensed a demonic aura radiating from this village!" he dramatically waved his staff towards the dwellings behind Sango.

She blinked and looked behind her. "That's nonsense. We're a village of demon slayers, no demon even comes close to this area. Even if it were so, we know how to sense demonic auras as well."

The monk frowned. _Oh no, she isn't buying this. Maybe if I insist, she'll believe me. _"No, you must be mistaken. I am a monk named Miroku, and if you let me simply stay the night in your village, I will exorcise this demon that plagues you."

Sango raised an eyebrow to him. She turned to see her father walking towards the two. He waved and greeted, "Hello, Sango. What's going on here? Another job so soon?"

"Father, this monk insists that there's a demon hiding in the village," she scoffed and crossed her arms. This monk seemed very untrustworthy.

Her father laughed at this and smacked Miroku on the back playfully. "That's sheer humor! Monk, do you simply require a place to stay the night? If this is so, we will allow you to stay in our village."

"But Father!" Sango cut in, glaring at Miroku. "This man tried lying to us. Do we really want a liar staying in the village?"

"Please, fair maiden, let me explain. You see… most people don't have such hospitality as you do. The truth is…I need to rest a few days. It seems as though I've injured my hand." _Heh,_ he thought to himself with a snicker, _though I'm actually trying to hide away from those samurai who've discovered that I took all of their gold in my last fake exorcism. _

Sango looked at him for a moment, still not believing what he said. "You need to rest for _days_ because of your hand? How much damage could be done to just your hand?"

Miroku closed his eyes and sighed. "Please, stand back and I will show you." He turned around and held his right hand away from his body. In one swift motion, he pulled the turquoise sacred beads from around his arm and allowed the wind tunnel to open.

The two behind him stood in awe as they saw trees and rocks being sucked into the strange monk's right hand. But within a few seconds, he closed it again. "Ow…ooo…" he faked, wincing in imaginary pain. "You see, this wind tunnel in my right hand is a curse passed down through generations. A few days ago, I was destroying a demon so nobly and it seems as though it was venomous."

Sango stared at him in amazement. She pretty much had to believe him now, just look at what had happened with his hand. "Alright, Miroku, you can stay with us until your hand is healed. I was just on my way to pick some herbs now."

Her father turned towards the village again. "I'll go inform the others of our guest. Monk, if you help my daughter with the herbs, she shall show you around the village afterwards."

Miroku nodded and traced the inside of his right hand, looking as if he were still in a bit of pain. As soon as the other man was out of sight, the monk turned quickly and grasped Sango's hands in his own. "Young lady, I'm afraid I never asked what title I shall call you. Will Lady Sango do?"

"S-Sango's fine," she stuttered, looking at Miroku stupidly. He smirked and glanced up towards the sky.

"Sango, huh? That's rather informal. What a gorgeous name, it suits such a beautiful maiden. As you can imagine, this wind tunnel is a deep and horrible curse that will eventually destroy me. I need a son to carry on my holy duties. Would you kindly consider baring my child?"

A slap stung across his face as soon as he uttered the very last word. Sango snatched her other hand away from Miroku's. "Pervert!" she growled, storming past him and towards the wild herbs not far away. "I knew you were untrustworthy from the start. Keep your distance!"

Miroku hid a smirk under a well-practiced serious face. "Sango, please, don't be so violent! I was merely asking. Now then, shall we go and collect the herbs that your village needs?"

The girl glared at the monk. She still didn't like his personality at all. "Here," she mumbled, shoving the basket at Miroku. "You hold this and I'll pick the herbs."

The two made their way over to the forest and started searching for various plants. A devious smirk overtook Miroku's face when the demon slayer bent down to collect the medicinal plants. _Heh heh heh… _He found that his hand was slowly extending away from him and towards Sango's butt.

"Dear Sango, I've noticed that you wince each time you make a movement. You seem injured yourself. You shouldn't be out and about. Bending over… looks…"

Oooh, he did it. There he goes again, grabbing people's asses left and right. Sango's face froze and she suddenly looked quite possessed. A long series of slaps sounded and even the villagers could hear the disturbance in the sound barrier. That perverted, possible rapist.

Miroku was lying on the ground with a few new lumps on his head and new purple colors on his face. He coughed and sat up, holding the basket out for Sango to throw the herbs in. "My apologies. It's hard to contain myself around such a beauty."

"Save it," she seethed, slamming plants into the basket. She just **knew** it was a bad idea to allow this lecher to stay in the village of demon slayers. Now she was the one who had to deal with him, show him around, and let him stay in her family's hut. "Shit…" she mumbled to herself with a growl.

She shook her head and threw some more herbs over her shoulder.

"Huh?" she turned around when she heard the distinct sound of the herbs smacking against sheer dust. Miroku was nowhere to be seen. "Oh great, where did he run off to so quickly? Baka!" She found that the entire basket was discarded on the ground as well, tipped over nonetheless.

"Excuse me, Miss!" she heard a voice call, snapping her from her silent cursing of that damned monk. Sango stood up and turned forward toward the pack of men heading towards her.

The leader stepped up and bowed politely. "We are from a village a bit south from here. A phony man of the cloth performed an unnecessary exorcism in the Lord's castle and made off with all of the riches stored there. Milord instructed us to search for him, and we found the cart he took abandoned not far from here. Have you seen him, by chance? Black hair, purple robe, carries a golden staff?"

_I knew it! That monk __**is**__ untrustworthy, and now he could very well be raiding my own village! That idiot! _She was practically roaring the thoughts inside her head, her face turning several different shades of pink. She glared up at the man before her, who in turn straightened up with confused shock.

"I…erm…" _Wait! _An idea suddenly snapped into Sango's head, and her face grew very content. _Why should I turn Miroku in to these average samurai from an average village? I think I should teach him what happens when he crosses a village of skilled demon slayers. Especially me. _

"I'm sorry you've come this far, but you must've followed him in the wrong direction. No monk has come to the village of demon exterminators. My apologies. I wish you the best of luck in finding the bandit." She bowed and waited for them to return down the path from which they came. Sango growled furiously and shot into the village like a bat out of hell.

She found Miroku surrounded by the young daughters of the male demon slayers in the village. He seemed to be getting along with them just fine and dandy. Sango barreled through the ladies and snatched the monk by the ear, dragging him painfully back to her own hut.

"Oh _smack_ so you're a _hit_ thieving pervert, _slap_ are you, Monk?!" Sango howled between striking Miroku. By now he was slumped over on the floor in a daze and she was hovering on top of him.

"Sango! You misunderstood! Those men must be after somebody else, I swear! I assure you, I would _never-_" The two grew completely silent. Miroku's expression melted to one of pure horror. Sango's flared into one of absolute rage. While the monk had held his hands up to block himself from the miko's attacks, a golden object had fallen from his sleeve and clunked onto the floor.

"Is that…" Sango gasped, staring at the object in disbelief. "Is that _my_ family's little golden Buddha?!" She swung around to Miroku, who had been scooting his way towards the door. As soon as her infuriated eyes locked onto him, he turned over and half crawled/half stumbled out of the hut.

"That's it! Injured or not, I'm taking him down!" She sprinted to the corner of her hut to grab her Hiraikotsu. Kirara's ear twitched at the disturbance, and she looked up at her master curiously. With a meow, the neko went up in flames and her little noise was transformed into a terrible roar. At the sight of her owner picking up the weapon, she knew that a battle was just waiting for her.

Sango smiled at her companion's dedication. Even though she was hurt as well, she would still help Sango any way that she could. "Right, Kirara. Lets move!" The two ran out of the hut and the girl swung herself onto the gigantic fire cat's back. They took to the air, getting several confused glances from the villagers down below.

Sango spotted Miroku running out of the village and into the forest. "There!" she yelled, pointing in front of the cat demon. "That's the man I'm after." Kirara roared in response and ran through the air to catch up with him. Within a blur of flames, she was spinning around to appear right in front of the startled monk.

"Gah!" he yelled out in shock, falling backwards to land on his butt. "S-Sango! You, uh…You look lovely when you're angry!"

"Who asked you, Monk." She leapt off of Kirara and stepped threateningly towards Miroku. "We let you into our village generously, and you're really just hiding out and stealing from us? What kind of man of the cloth are you?"

Miroku jumped to his feet, trying to make up an excuse. But unfortunately in doing so, several other items fell from the folds of his kimono. _Oh hell! I'll have to remember not to stuff so many items in my clothes all at once. _He glanced back up nervously at Sango, who looked in awe once again.

The demon slayer stared down at the random silk garments and jewelry that many thankful towns had paid the demon exterminators with. Kirara made a funny noise and cocked her head, seeing her silver food dish on the ground as well. If that weren't enough, gold coins were also scattered throughout the objects.

"That's it, Miroku! I'll teach you to loot from demon exterminators, you bastard!" Sango swung her arm into the air, ready to fling her weapon right at the monk in front of her. "Ahh..!" she felt her whole body tense in that instant and everything throbbed, bringing her to her knees.

"Sango?" she heard Miroku ask cautiously. She dropped her bone boomerang to grasp her ribs and squeeze her eyes shut. Maybe it _was_ too soon to be flinging her weapon around when she'd just been injured yesterday. After all, it took most of her body to bring the momentum to hurl the Hiraikotsu, not to mention the muscle strain just to keep her grounded while doing so.

"Sango!" she heard again, though this time it seemed more echo-like and far off. She felt something at her side, but she couldn't see who it was. Her vision had tunneled until all she saw was black. She was getting too lightheaded to even be able to make sense of words, let alone acknowledge them. _It must be Kirara, _she managed to think before she blacked out. _Miroku will be long gone now. He'll take the chance to run and escape being caught by anyone. Atleast she will get me back to the village…Ngg…_

And there was nothingness.

_-- _

Sango's brow furrowed as she was awakened by the soft sound of voices very near to her. She noticed that there was no light irritating her eyes, which was usually what woke her up in the mornings. It must be nighttime.

"It seems as though when she lifted her weapon, the muscles along her right side tore and the fractured bones shifted." It was a female's voice.

"Yes, I can imagine. It's a very heavy weapon, I had to carry it back." A male's voice this time. Sango's eyes snapped open. That voice…she knew it. It was that god damned thieving bastard that stole from her, lied to her, and- wait. Saved her?

She shot up as a reaction to being awakened and knowing he was right next to her. Now she could strangle him quite easily! "Ugh!" _Damn, I forgot how much this hurt. _She was forced back down by the stabbing pains all through her torso, and to top it all off, now they knew she was awake.

Sango turned her head to see, of course, Miroku sitting in the hut. One of the women who tended to the injured demon slayers when they returned from a job was sitting across from Miroku. She was boiling water in a kettle above a crackling fire.

"No, Lady Sango! You mustn't move just yet! I'm almost finished making this medicine for you. I want you to drink plenty of it and rest. This young man escorted you back to the village."

Sango glared over at Miroku, who was grinning nervously. Her caramel eyes then wandered to Kirara, curled up right beside her master in the blanket that covered them. The demon slayer frowned and shot her eyes back up to the monk. "Hmph. Don't you mean _Kirara _brought me back? I refuse to believe that someone like you could ever help someone else."

Miroku sighed and lowered his head. "The feline seemed injured herself; I thought she might collapse if she carried you yet again. So I gathered your weapon and brought you back myself."

She eyed him carefully for a moment. "Yeah, I'm afraid to think what else you did to me while I was unconscious-" she was stopped by a cup being pressed to her lips.

"Lady Sango, please, you must drink this quickly. I'll be back in a few hours to brew more of it for you, but rest until then." The woman kneeled down closely to Sango's ear, her back turned towards Miroku. "Please, Miss Sango, if it wasn't for him, you would still be lying unconscious in the forest. Besides, he's a cute one." She giggled quietly and slipped out of the hut, leaving the other two in an awkward silence.

Sango blushed slightly and tapped the cup of medicine with her fingers. She finished it off and gagged; it tasted like lots and lots of garlic. She looked at the monk, who was staring in the other direction. "What made you help me?"

Miroku's shoulder's stiffened at the sound of her voice. He knew that he had to walk on eggshells around her now. "I wasn't about to leave an injured woman unconscious and alone in a forest."

Another silence crept between them…

"Don't worry," Miroku spoke up again, scratching his head. "I've already returned all of the riches that I, um, borrowed from your village. I apologize for that, by the way."

Sango peered at him skeptically. "And how can I believe that?" she changed her voice to mimic his, though it just sounded deeper and goofier than her usual tone. "'You have an evil demon in your village, bare my children, they must be searching for someone else, I would never steal, I put it all back!'" She made a list of all of the lies he managed to spew out in one day.

A sweat droplet dripped down the side of his face and he sighed again. "No really, I put it back. You can see for yourself when you get well enough to move again."

She remained silent as she debated whether or not to believe him. He was probably just lying again. "So why are you still here? You could've just left me at the village and went on your way. The samurai that were after you have already went searching the other direction."

"Well, I wanted to make sure that you'd actually be alright. After all, it's my fault that you deepened your injuries. You were chasing after me…"

The woman closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. What a strange man the monk was. She really didn't know what to make of him yet. She knew from the start that he was mischievous and deceiving, but it seemed as if he now had compassion for the wellbeing of others. Could such traits actually mix together?

She opened her eyes again and looked over at Miroku, who seemed to be reading her thoughts. "I know you've got a lot of doubt about me now, but sometimes you just have to trust a man when he's being sincere."

"Let me ask you this, Miroku. Is your hand really injured?"

"No, it's not…"

"Figures," she groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes. "All you can do is lie!"

He bowed his head, taking the scolding in silence. "Listen, Sango, I'll tell you the truth. I am on a journey, and I need to have a place to stay sometimes and a meal or two along the way. I have no money, so I offer my spiritual powers to those in need and receive payment. Whatever I manage to get, I use for my next lodging. But when I have no money, I have to obtain that and my lodging through my words."

"I guess that fits in with what you've done. But really, what kind of journey? Are you making this up? I already know what a con artist you can be."

"I'm being completely honest. I've already showed you my wind tunnel, this curse inside my right hand. A demon named Naraku bestowed it in my great grandfather, and if I cannot destroy this demon, the curse itself will destroy me…As it has done to my father, and his father, and so on."

Sango's eyes were shimmering now. How sad for Miroku, knowing his own fate to be sealed in such a way. "When will you move on from this village and continue your journey?"

"I'll move on as soon as I'm content with your health progress. I couldn't continue with having killed a young woman on my conscience."

Sango's face contorted into an expression of insult. "Hey, I'm not going to die! Certainly not by _you._ You didn't even do anything, I only re-injured myself. Sheesh, you're sure full of yourself."

Kirara stirred at Sango's side and got up. With a meow, she trotted over to Miroku and sat on his lap, rubbing against his abdomen affectionately. The demon slayer reached out, feeling shocked and a bit betrayed. "K-Kirara…!" She pouted and looked the other way, her cheeks heating up slightly. "Well she sure seems to like you."

"I'd say she has a pretty keen sense of judgment. But I guess you did too when we first met this morning. You didn't like the idea of trusting me from the start."

"I guess it's just part of being a woman. Never completely trust a man. You just had a certain aura of deceit around you. I can see why." She narrowed her eyes at him accusingly.

Miroku closed his eyes. "You're never going to let me live any of this down, are you? Ah, I won't worry about it. You'll trust me eventually."

Just as she was about to object, the monk repositioned himself on the floor so that he was laying on his side, eyes still closed. "Now then, Sango, I think you and I could both use some sleep. It's been an…eventful day."

She sighed and gave him a look. "Yes, it certainly _has._"

--

As crickets chirped and the fire popped, Sango lay awake that night. She didn't quite know why, but she couldn't sleep. It wasn't so much as her injuries hurt her, maybe it was because there was a stranger lying across the room. She looked over at Miroku, who appeared to be sleeping lightly. She could hear his quiet and steady breathing, as well as Kirara's.

She sat up slowly and cautiously. Her injuries weren't anything that she couldn't handle. She managed to stand up and slip out of the hut silently. It was on calm, sleepless nights like this that she liked to go outside and think.

Sango made her way over to a small pond and sat down on the bank. Her eyes followed the moonbeams that seemed to be gliding and shimmering atop the water. She loved how the pond seemed to sparkle underneath the natural lights that adorned the sky.

She leaned forward and gently skimmed her hand across the water, making the metallic light wiggle and shine in different forms. She listened to the night harmonies with contentment. The calm water, the various insects, the occasional breeze rustling the grass.

She couldn't help but to wonder about Miroku. She was having a hard time accepting any of the things he said. After all, he'd given her plenty of reasons not to trust him. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them, wrapping her arms loosely around her legs. Each little movement brought a new zap of pain, but it wasn't unbearable.

"You shouldn't be out and about. You don't like taking time to recover properly, do you?"

Sango gasped and turned her head to the side. She saw Miroku standing slightly behind her, looking across at the glittering lake. He walked forward and sat beside the demon slayer.

Sango frowned and rolled her eyes. "You nearly gave me a heart attack," she scolded, stretching her legs out. She looked over to the monk, who had a look of intense peacefulness on his face.

"Sorry, I heard you get up and I wanted to make sure you didn't collapse outside."

"It offends me that you think I'm so weak."

He shook his head and smiled. "The woman who tended to your wounds told me that you're not one to listen to the proper healing processes, so I was just checking on you."

Sango smiled sheepishly and looked the other way. "She said that, huh? I suppose there's some truth behind it." She put her hands in her lap and fiddled with her fingers, feeling a bit awkward with Miroku at her side.

The monk picked up a pebble and flicked it into the lake, causing the dancing reflections to spread apart wildly and then reconnect. "You come out here often, don't you?"

She nodded and leaned forward, extending her gentle hands to collect a small lily pad out of the water. "Things out here are so beautiful and serene, it helps me clear my head."

"True," he agreed, plucking a petal off of the pink flower atop the pad. "Ha ha, she loves me. I quit." Miroku smiled and held the petal in front of his face. He blew it to flip several times in front of him until it landed on the lake ahead. The ripples scared several dragon flies off of the water and into the night sky.

Sango blushed and concentrated to keep her gaze at the flower in front of her instead of the monk to her left. "The game doesn't work that way," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oh? Who says?" He grabbed the lily pad from Sango and set it afloat in the water again, pushing it out of her reach. "Sometimes you have to make things go your way in life. Choose your own fate, you know? Don't necessarily settle for the expected."

The demon slayer continued to turn pink. Her eyes began to follow random lightning bugs in front of her face. They hovered over the water and cast the most beautiful reflection. They were almost like little living earth stars. "Well aren't you just a regular fortune cookie."

Miroku laughed softly and stood from the ground. "My advice is better than a fortune cookie's." He smiled and kept his gaze on Sango just long enough for her to feel awkward again. He chuckled and turned back towards the hut, leaving her alone to think once more. She sighed and looked up at the twinkling sky. "What an…odd monk…"

--

The next day, Sango went against the wishes of her nurse and left the hut again. It annoyed her that so many people thought she was so easy to keep down. After all, she only wanted to go find her brother and see how his training was going.

"I can handle myself," she growled as she made her way through the village. Kirara meowed in agreement and trotted alongside her master's feet. "I knew you'd understand, Kirara." Sango lifted the neko affectionately and carried her.

She found Kohaku soon enough, though he wasn't practicing like she'd expected. _It's a good thing he's finally taking a break. He really needs to rest more._ He smiled when he caught sight of his sister, and she waved to greet him.

"Hey Sango, feeling better? Father and I heard about what happened yesterday, but you were still unconscious when we came to see you."

Sango nodded and put her hand on Kohaku's shoulder. "See, that's what happens when you don't get enough rest in between missions and training." Her brother nodded and looked to the ground, knowing that she was referring to him.

"Where's Father?" Sango questioned, glancing around at the passing villagers. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, there was a small extermination job earlier this morning. It was so minor that he didn't take the entire village with him."

The girl frowned. It wasn't often that her father went off without her, but of course he wouldn't permit her to go with her wounds. "I see. I guess we'll just have to hope it goes well."

Sango left Kohaku a few minutes after that, making her way through the village. There wasn't much she could do until she was completely healed; no one would ever let her help out. She found that she'd unconsciously traveled to the gorgeous lake, her favorite place to go within the entire demon slayer village.

She saw Miroku sitting by the waters as she had done the previous night, gazing out at the dazzling blueness. She hesitated for just a moment before she decided to walk over and join him. "Hey," she greeted meekly, sitting on the bank next to him.

His violet eyes were still staring forward when he responded with a quiet, "Hello, Sango." A wind picked up and blew his raven bangs away from his eyes. She could tell that something was troubling him.

"Miroku, are you alright?"

He sighed and turned his head away, taking a moment to say the words. "Do you remember that demon I was telling you about? The one who put that wretched wind tunnel in my hand?"

Sango nodded sympathetically. "Of course."

"Early this morning before the sun even rose, I woke up with this feeling. It's more like a sense. He's nearby, and I have to face him. But I must admit, I'm nervous. He's very powerful."

Sango looked up at Miroku with sadness in her eyes. "Listen, you're in a village of demon exterminators. We handle jobs like this all of the time. We'll help you, Miroku."

The monk shook his head. "Naraku is no ordinary demon. He has shards of the Shikon jewel. I couldn't put your village in that kind of danger."

"This very village is where the Shikon jewel was born. Please, let us help you."

"Lady Sango, Lady Sango!" A man came sprinting towards the lake, his face very distressed.

The monk and the demon slayer jumped to their feet. "What is it, what's going on?"

"Come quickly! I can't explain it!"

The three ran to the entrance of the village, where many of the villagers had gathered in large crowd. Sango pushed her way through to the front. There lay a man in two halves on the ground, foam sizzling out from his body. "What's occurred here?"

A man frantically tried to clarify. "This warrior came walking to the entrance. He was completely in one piece! He told us that the head of the demon exterminators required backup immediately, but when the message was said, the man completely split in two! It was as if he was a walking dead!"

"A walking dead?" Sango repeated, staring down at the corpse by her feet. She'd never seen anything quite like this before. She looked over to Miroku, who looked as if he were deep in thought.

"Well, what are you waiting for, men? Retrieve your weapons! We're heading out to help our others. Hurry!" She dashed into the hut to change into her uniform and get her Hiraikotsu. She darted through the village with the rest of her people, taking the role of the leader. "Kirara!" she yelled to the sky, looking for her feline companion.

Kirara answered with a mighty roar as she transformed to get ready for battle. She soared to the front of the pack and landed in front of her master, ready to go. Sango mounted the demon and was ready to take off when Miroku came running towards her.

"Wait, Sango! This is suspicious, don't you think?"

"Miroku, we can't wait around and wonder. No matter what, my father needs help. Kohoku, come on!"

Her brother came running and vaulted onto Kirara's back. The feline turned and lowered herself to the ground, ready to take to the air. Sango glanced back at Miroku. His eyes…she couldn't quite read his emotion. She extended her hand in a hurry. "Are you in?"

The monk hesitated, but went against his instincts and got on Kirara as well. It weren't as if he'd never battled a demon before, after all. However, he still felt that the whole thing was a bit sketchy.

The group took to the sky with a cluster of exterminators charging off to fight beneath them. This was no ordinary job; this was a rescue mission. "Kohaku, tell me which way the village is!"

--

The demon slayers piled into the village where the others had gone off to take care of a job. Kirara landed in the dirt and her passengers jumped off, taking a look around the area. There was no sign of any life. The huts were run down and some were still in flames from the previous struggle.

"If even Father couldn't handle whatever demon overtook this village," Sango shouted to her followers, "I don't think we should split up too scarcely. Half go that way, the other half there. Stick together and stay on your guard!"

She tightened her grip on her Hiraikotsu and ran towards the castle up ahead. Miroku reached inside his kimono and grabbed several sutras, readying them for the demon. The thick demonic aura was very ominous here.

"I can sense the heart of the power coming from within the castle. Sango, Kohaku, be very careful. Something isn't right here." _This feeling…I've felt it many times before. Is this Naraku? _

From within the castle came a deep rumble. The group paused and readied their weapons. Several flashes of light flew out of the fortress and sped towards the four, a strong gust of wind combining with the bright blades.

Sango grabbed Kohaku and used her weapon as a shield, struggling to push against the wind. Miroku held his arm in front of his face, feeling himself begin to be forced across the earth. He finally lost his footing and went flying backwards, but something caught him in midair. "Kirara…!"

He swung himself onto the feline's back and flew towards the center of the wind, dodging blades as they went. "Sacred sutras!" The thin pieces of paper glowed with a sort of blue spiritual fire, and then flew with precision towards the demon within the castle.

"Miroku, are you okay?" Sango yelled over the gale. He answered with a yes and returned to the sister and brother on the ground. Sure enough, the wind stopped and the sutras had forced the demon to come out from hiding.

"Well hello there," a woman's voice chanted from above. The four snapped their heads up towards the sky to see a humungous feather supporting a demon. She had piercing red eyes and held a fan in her hand, tapping it nonchalantly against her chin.

"Who are you? What have you done with the demon exterminators?" Sango growled, glaring up at the woman hovering above.

"I am Kagura, sorceress of the wind. As for the demon exterminators, Naraku hasn't permitted me to tell you that yet." She smirked and held the fan away from her body. It gently fell open and she looked at it with a bored expression on her face. With a sigh, she simply stated, "Well, time to finish off my orders."

"Tell me where they are!" Sango barked and threw her weapon at Kagura. Kohaku spun his Kusarigama a few times and flung it at the woman in the air as well.

"Fools! Did you not hear me? I am the wind!" With a swipe of her fan, a forceful gust of wind hurled both of their weapons back. Kohaku's sickle stabbed the earth some yards away, yanking him across the ground as it did. Sango's Hiraikotsu spiraled wildly towards her, about to impact and injure her for a second time.

"Sango!" Miroku yelled, running towards the girl. He would never have enough time to pull her out of the way. He grounded himself and threw his arm in front of him, supporting his wrist with his left hand. "Wind tunnel!"

The bone boomerang altered it's course and was drawn rapidly towards the hole in Miroku's right hand. Right before it was sucked in, however, he closed the wind tunnel. He was thrown back in trying to catch the Hiraikotsu, but nonetheless, he did manage to catch it and keep it from harming Sango.

"Miroku!" Sango called as she sprinted over to the monk. She heaved her weapon off of him and helped him up. "Thanks," she said sincerely, gripping her Hiraikotsu. She darted back across to make sure Kohaku was alright.

Miroku looked over to Kirara. "Well, it's just you and me. Let's defeat that wicked woman!" _She knows where Naraku is,_ he thought to himself as he leapt onto Kirara's back. _I can't just suck her into my wind tunnel. _

"Kagura! Tell me where Naraku's hiding!" Miroku threw some more sutras at her, but she simply split them in two with her Dance of Blades.

"I wish I could, Monk. But if I did, he'd kill me. Now then, make it easy for me and die! Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura raised her fan in the air swiftly, spewing forth several tornados.

Kirara nimbly dodged the twisters and landed back by Sango and Kohaku. Kagura snarled and jumped from her feather to kneel on the ground in front of the castle. Her fan danced through the air and twirled with a breeze. "I'm ending this now. Dance of the Dead."

The entire castle stirred and spewed forth several men. They moved in jolty motions and glided across the earth. "She's controlling them!" Miroku noted, holding his staff out before him.

"Wait!" Kohaku and Sango shouted together. Miroku raised an eyebrow and jumped back, dodging a corpse that'd launched its body at him. Sango took a step back, looking confused. "Those are the exterminators that were sent out this morning. Don't hurt them!"

"Sango! These men are already dead! It can't be helped, they're gone." Miroku swung his staff and cut one of the corpses in two. To his utter displeasure, the body drew back into one piece and continued to hobble after him.

"Idiots, all of you! You cannot kill the dead!"

_She's right,_ the monk thought, looking at the horde of bodies.

Sango hesitated as she saw none other than the corpse of her father attacking her. She pushed him away with her Hiraikotsu, struggling to get the courage to fight with her own.

"Sango, forgive me. But there is no other option. Wind tunnel!" He began to suck in the dead demon slayers across the land. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kagura smirk. _Oh no, why is she…? Gah! _

Miroku was brought to one knee as an awful feeling overtook his entire body. "What is this?" Once the entirety of the exterminators were gone, he covered his wind tunnel and collapsed to the ground completely.

Kagura opened and closed her fan distractedly. "The bodies of the dead are filled with miasma. You have so much flowing through your own being that you'll most likely die quickly-"

She was silence when something slammed into her side. Her crimson eyes narrowed when she saw that Sango had thrown her Hiraikotsu at her. "Wench!" they both screamed at the same time.

Kagura stumbled back and slumped over, clutching her side. Sango stepped forward and caught her weapon proudly. She didn't even need to say a word, Kirara ran in front of her and took to the air as soon as her master mounted.

"Die!" she shouted, throwing her weapon. This time Kagura swept it away in a gust of wind. But she didn't expect for the demon slayer to leap off of the feline and fall through the air before her, grabbing the sword hanging at her left side and thrusting it towards the demon.

Kagura's eyes widened with pain. She kicked Sango away and pulled a feather from her bun, using it to make her quick escape. "Damn you to hell!" she hissed as the feather spiraled upward. "We'll meet again!"

--

Sango and Miroku walked down a sunny path on the outskirts of the demon slayer village. They passed the memorials of the fallen exterminators as they went, bowing their heads in prayer.

Miroku sipped something out of a small cup that he held. He coughed, making a face. "This tastes like nothing but garlic!"

Sango smiled and laughed, looking up at the monk. "Now you know how I felt. Just be lucky that the herbs were strong enough to cure you of the poison."

Miroku nodded and looked up towards the sky. It was exceptionally blue today. He grabbed Sango's hand and held it in his own, smiling at the warmth of someone else being so close. "I could've died, Sango."

She blushed and looked away shyly. "Yes, but you didn't. And I'm glad. What will you do now?"

"Continue searching for Naraku. This wind tunnel threatens my life if I don't. What will you do now that your father is gone?"

Sango lowered her head in thought. "Well, I want to avenge my father's death. I wouldn't ever endanger Kohaku with such a task, so I told him to stay behind and train in the village with the remaining slayers. It'll be hard, but it's his place."

Miroku grinned. "So does this mean we'll be traveling together?"

Sango smiled as well and nodded.

The monk plucked a flower out of the ground and held it out towards Sango. "Here, a flower as beautiful as you. I'm glad you'll be joining me."

Sango smiled timidly and held the gorgeous flower in her hands. She pulled off a single petal and showed it to Miroku. "He loves me. I quit." The two smirked and kissed each other lovingly. Kirara jumped on Sango's shoulder and meowed happily. Sango tucked the flower behind her ear and squeezed Miroku's hand. This would be an interesting journey together.

--End


End file.
